SAT #11 Reading (Question 32)

Question

Smith's main purpose of the passage is to [...]?

Answer 1

Answer Choice D is the correct answer, because throughout the Passage, the author argues the right of women to participate in the cause of abolition and defends that right against various accusations. In Lines 51-57, she writes, “Surely this consideration is of itself sufficient to arouse the slumbering energies of women [...]; and she will not be deterred from the performance of her duty to herself, her family, and her country [...].” Or, in Lines 73-77 she says that ”the events of the last two years have cast their dark shadows before [...], shrouding the destinies of our country in more than midnight gloom, and we cannot remain inactive.” This most closely matches Answer Choice D, which says the purpose of the passage is to “encourage women to see their participation in the abolitionist cause as just and important.” Answer Choice A is incorrect because the author doesn’t accuse other abolitionists in the Passage, nor does she spend time defending the contributions of women, instead spending time justifying their position. Answer Choice B is incorrect because, while the author does defend and treat positively the cause of abolition and women’s participation in it, she never directly argues that these are explicit continuations of the spirit of the American Revolution, a very specific claim. Answer Choice C is incorrect because, while it presents the author as being sympathetic towards the cause of abolition, in the Passage the author never claims that women’s rights are meaningless while slavery exists, which is a strong and specific claim.

How to solve this? The Question asks, “Smith’s main purpose in the passage is to [...]?” Because this is a [Big Picture] Question, to solve it we should go back to the Passage to get both a general understanding of its structure and content as well as to find specific texts within it that will tell us about its main purpose. [See above for general purpose]. Specifically, we can begin by looking at the subtitle, introductory paragraph and conclusion, while also scanning for any [indicators] like “but” or “however.” The subtitle for this Passage doesn’t tell us much related to its purpose. The introduction shows the author arguing against the idea that women can’t participative in the discussion of the topic of slavery because it is a “political question,” arguing in fact that it is more than simply that. There are no strong claims in this introduction beyond the general idea that the author believes women should participate in the discussion on slavery. The conclusion begins with a series of questions, essentially making the point that even if women admit the topic to be a political one, they should be allowed to participate in it. It concludes with her stating that the country is as dear to women as anyone, and that women’s course, should still be “onward.” There’s no strong single statement in this conclusion either, but a general reinforcement of the author’s view that the topic of slavery is an important one in which women should be allowed to participate. So, we may not know in advance what our answer choice will look like, we can expect it to have something to do with the importance of women participating in the cause of abolition.

Answer Choice A says that the main purpose of the passage is to “accuse fellow abolitionists of overlooking the contributions that women have made to the movement.” Although this answer choice seems favorable towards women involved in abolition, it's incorrect because the author never accuses fellow abolitionists nor does she highlight specific contributions from women in the movement. Answer Choice B says that the main purpose of the passage is to “argue that the causes of abolition and women’s rights are continuations of the spirit of the American Revolution.” This answer choice also seems plausible, since it relates women’s rights and abolition in a positive manner. It’s incorrect, however, because it makes the specific claim that these causes and rights are “continuations of the spirit of the American Revolution,” a point the author never makes explicitly. So, we should eliminate this option as well. Answer Choice C says that the main purpose of the passage is to “make the case that women’s rights are meaningless while slavery exists.” This answer choice is also sympathetic to the cause of abolition, but it fails because it makes the too strong and specific claim that women’s rights are “meaningless” while slavery exists, a point the author never clearly makes. Answer Choice D says that the main purpose of the passage is to “encourage women to see their participation in the abolitionist cause as just and important.” This answer choice has the virtue of being very general, and avoiding strong or specific claims. It also matches our understanding of the Passage, that the author argues that the participation of women in the cause of abolition is “just and important.” So, we should keep this option and choose Answer Choice D as our correct answer choice.